Friday, February 21, 2014

Ubuntu

THE UBUNTU BLOGHOPWhat is ubuntu? "In Africa, there is a concept known as UBUNTU – the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievement of others." – Nelson Mandela.So in the spirit of ubuntu, I invite you to join me in celebrating my 3rd blogoversary!Date – 18th to 21st February. I've allowed 4 days to make it easier for you guys, since some people only post once a week… save the date that coincides with your blogging schedule!I'm lucky to be a teacher. I'm so often surrounded by joy and hope and the future. Kids are powerful and creative. At our school we obviously focus on the academics but we also focus on helping our students become kind and caring citizens. This has created some of the most amazing acts I've been lucky to witness over the last few years.

One student wrote out Anti-Bullying trading cards (complete with a logo and tips) and stood in the main hallway handing them out to everyone who passed by. When she ran out, she made more - eventually hand making over 300 cards!

Another student had noticed some sad peers so she created a Smile Box which she left outside the office. She left a card on the top asking people to "Take a Smile and Pass it On". Inside the box were small pieces of paper with hand drawn smiley faces. The box was soon empty except for a few Thank You notes left inside.

Over 2/3 of our students use our breakfast program which runs on volunteers. Parents, grandparents and students give generously of their time each and every day to prepare the food and clean up afterward.

During our Random Acts of Kindness week I caught dozens of kids giggling as they scooted away after performing a RAoK so they wouldn't get 'caught' and the act would remain anonymous.

Our older students do so much in the school to help out the community. Teens often have a bad rep but from where I'm sitting, they're super role models and citizens!

Two students worked together to create a craft they could sell to raise money for a student with cancer and raised almost $500...

My students are always my inspiration for trying to be a better person each and every day!They are awesome!!Thanks Michelle for celebrating your blogiversary in such a thoughtful fashion! Be sure to click on her link for access to other entries in the fest!What RAoK have you witnessed lately?

Hi Jemi!Kids are priceless!I've also just returned to the English classroom (beginning of February), and I'm really looking forward to the interaction with my grade 8 learners...Those RAoK's are amazing. I think we often underestimate kids...they are capable of so much more than we give them credit for...

A quote to share: “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.”― Herman Melville

...and another...

"What I've come to learn is that the world is never saved in grand messianic gestures, but in the simple accumulation of gentle, soft, almost invisible acts of compassion--everyday acts of compassion. In South Africa they have a phrase called ubuntu. Ubuntu comes out of a philosophy that says, the only way for me to be human is for you to reflect my humanity back at me." - from a TED video featuring award-winning Nigerian author Chris Abani.(check it out if you get a moment...)

Thank you for reaching out across cyberspace to share in the spirit of Ubuntu!

To me, it's very heartening to know that there are young kids out there like that. You always hear about the bullying kids and the ones who do horrible things - but it's nice to know there are more types than that out there!

Like Trisha F, a lot of time you heard of the bullying kids and other negative things and it's nice to hear about the positive things too. I wish they were also highlighted, not because I want us to pretend the bad does not exist, but so we can also celebrate the good in humanity.

Sounds like you are very lucky to have such wonderful kids in your class and at your school. It so nice to hear. Living in Chicago all I ever hear about are teens on drugs, teens, shooting other teens, and just plain violence all around.

My daughter is constantly going out of her way to make other students' days brighter. Also, she and her brother have a fellow student with cancer--the school put on a number of fundraisers and donated over $2000 to the family.

It's wonderful to hear such kind, thoughtful things people do! I rarely watch the news on TV, but if I do it bums me out that there's so rarely any good will news shared, and I know plenty of great things happen all the time. It'd probably be better for boosting human morale to sandwich all the bad news between a little piece of good news at the beginning and end of each news hour.